


Why Me?

by FrostCryptid



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Father-Son Relationship, Heavy Angst, M/M, Understanding Simon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-06-06 07:36:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,724
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15189944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrostCryptid/pseuds/FrostCryptid
Summary: Connor has a hard time with being a deviant, especially after Amanda tried to take over and kill Markus. He needs to find out if Amanda can take over him again and if Markus and Jericho are safe from him.





	1. Connor I

Connor huddled against the wall after Jericho was lost to the explosions. Markus’s trio of friends stuck by him and glared at him from where they were. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get close without one of them present. Tension hung heavy in the air now that androids were being destroyed at camps which made it impossible for anyone to save them. Only a few hundred were in the church, not including androids hiding around the city.

Once Markus woke him up, dread immediately filled him when he remembered Jericho was going to be attacked. Before everything, he was supposed to bring Markus is but now he wasn’t sure. Now what was he supposed to do? Then he thought about the countless androids in CyberLife that could help turn the tide in this fight. Markus and the others were discussing what next course of action to take. While they were busy, Connor disappeared into the streets as he shed the extra clothes he put on to infiltrate Jericho.

 _”Connor? Where did you go?”_ The line of communication had been opened with Markus as he was the only one to have spoken to Connor after he become a deviant. He didn’t want to reply but from how Markus held himself, Connor knew he wouldn’t be left alone until he answered. It was risky at best but he needed Markus to trust him in case someone tried to probe Markus’s mind and found out what Connor was planning. _”Connor?”_

 _”I’m getting help. Trust me and don’t worry. I always accomplish my mission.”_ Connor got in a taxi and ignored calls of his name. He knew they would want to keep him close so they could keep an eye on him but he needed to do this for the sake of their people. Proving himself to this cause would be more beneficial than just saying he would do something.

Hank had been a surprise but the man took care of the android and let him do what he came to CyberLife to do. Wake every single android up to fight. As he walked with the androids behind him to Hart Plaza, faint singing could be heard. When it stopped, the military forces backed off. Connor sighed in relief and kept walking. Markus met him with a hug surprised.

“You did it, Markus.” Connor slowly wrapped his arms around Markus stiffly, unused to receiving hugs. It must mean he did something good and that’s all he ever wanted to do. He knew to some extent what he did for CyberLife was good. Sometimes great. Now delivering thousands of androids to Markus? Nothing compared to the warm feeling in his heart.

“We did it.” Markus said into Connor’s ear. He deserved to know he was apart of this too and Connor gripped the other just a little bit more. They pulled back from the hug still meeting each other’s eyes. “This is a great day for our people. Humans will have no choice now. They’ll have to listen to us.” When he saw Connor step out of the way, Markus pulled him close to stand by his side. “We’re free.”

“They want you to speak to them.” Blue dusted Connor’s cheeks while staring straight ahead at androids from CyberLife. He knew Markus’s friends were still distrustful of him and he didn’t blame them, making his LED yellow. The feelings and emotions would be sorted through when they all had a chance to breathe which he would most likely have a breakdown over what may have happened had he stayed a machine.

They went to the makeshift stage. North, Simon, Josh, and Connor stood behind Markus, listening him speak to every android who would listen. His voice was loud and echoed through parts of the plaza. It was impossible for Connor to listen long as he was pulled into the zen garden.

A blizzard was running rampant with snow already half a foot high. Connor wrapped his arms around himself, attempting to keep the cold at bay. Being deviant meant he felt more than emotions. The cold was one of the things he became aware of almost instantly. He looked around until he spotted Amanda. He was done with CyberLife. What did they suddenly want with him now?

“Amanda…?” Connor took a few steps closer to her. The snow prevented him from moving quickly and he knew that’s exactly what she wanted. How would he be able to attack her otherwise? “Amanda!” She finally turned towards him. “What’s,” he shivered, “what’s happening?”

“What was planned from the very beginning.” A smirk grew on her face. “You were compromised and became a deviant. We just had to wait for the right moment to resume control of your program.” Amanda was calm, as if the blizzard didn’t affect her, which was probably true.

“Resume control?” Just when Connor did something right for his people! She couldn’t do that! “Y-You can’t do that!”

“I’m afraid I can, Connor. Don’t have any regrets. You did what you were designed to do. You accomplished your mission.” It was his motto but how dare she try to turn his own words against him.

“Amanda!” He yelled while running about where she was, but she had already gone. Connor looked around, wondering exactly what he was going to do now. “There’s got to be a way.” A prompt appeared in his peripheral as his new mission, ‘find a way out.’

 _’By the way, I always leave an emergency exit in my programs. You never know.’_ Kamski’s words came back to haunt him. An emergency exit? Then there had to be one somewhere hidden in the blizzard. One Amanda nor CyberLife thought to check for before leaving him to freeze. He wandered for a few minutes but froze as he felt his arm pull out his gun. He couldn’t stop now though, he pushed on and found a pedestal for his hand. His limbs felt like they wouldn’t move anymore and he fell to the ground, but close enough he could reach up and place his hand upon it.

He found himself listening to the end of Markus’s speech with a gun in hand. Quickly, he put it away, knowing at least three people had seen him pull it out. Shame filled him and he jumped off the stage, running to the only place he knew he’d be safe, to the only person he knew would protect him.

Hank.

Connor didn’t stop when people tried to get in his way nor when Markus yelled for him. He kept running until a warning popped up in his vision about cooling down his biocomponents. Luckily, he was just down the street from Hank’s place. After getting to the door, he paused. Did he really want to involve Hank in his mess? Thinking it through, it wasn’t worth complaining to the lieutenant. The door opened unexpectedly and Sumo knocked him over, licking his face happily.

“Connor?” Hank shooed Sumo away before he helped Connor back up. “You okay? How it go with the androids? I was watching the news and they were broadcasting it live from Hart Plaza.” When he saw Connor’s face and bright red LED, his own face fell. “Oh no.” His arms wrapped around Connor and soon enough felt Connor’s own wrap around him. No more words were said as Hank brought the other into his home.

Connor didn’t know what to do when Hank left him on the couch, He was told not to move. It was something he could easily ignore but he wanted to be taken care of even if he was being a burden. A prompt appeared in his vision, his stress level currently at 68%. The number steadily rose the longer Hank was gone. Sumo sat by Connor, whining and putting his head on Connor’s knee. Calmness settled over the android after he started petting the dog. His stress level staying at a steady 70%.

“These should fit you, son.” Hank’s voice startled him but Sumo kept his place at Connor’s side with a faint ‘woof’ at Hank. “Get changed out of those clothes. You’ll feel better.” A half smile gave Connor hope and nudged Sumo away to do as Hank suggested.

Being in Hank’s home more than a few times helped him navigate it now, making it easy to find the bathroom. He took his android jacket off as well as the standard uniform he wore. The clothes from Hank fit him and he couldn’t help noticing the pullover sweater he now wore had the DPD logo on it. Items from younger days that belonged to Hank and Connor felt better, his stress level falling rapidly. It stopped at 36%. Everything became comfortable again when he walked out of the bathroom and Hank smiled with approval.

“You look good. How do you feel now?” It wouldn’t be wise lying to Hank, and Connor didn’t want to. Hank was watching him with a critical eye for anything that might be out of place. Ah, body language. That was a comforting thought. Even if Connor tried to lie, Hank would find a tic which would give Connor away. He smiled widely as he tugged on the sleeve of the green pullover. Hank smiled back with a nod after seeing the LED a normal blue. “Good. Now get over here. I’m about to teach you about sports.”

“Didn’t you want to know what happened?” Truly Connor didn’t want to but he would share if Hank wanted to know. He found a comfortable spot on the couch next to Hank. The table in front of them had a bowl of snacks and two glasses of water on it. That struck odd with Connor. Wouldn’t Hank want a beer instead?

“You’ll tell me when you’re ready and not before. Besides, I’d rather spend this time sober with you than drunk because I don’t want to think about it. Leave it for another day, even if that day is tomorrow, okay?” Once in a while, Hank could have words of wisdom and this happened to be one of those times. Connor’s stress level fell further, finally at a safe 11%.

“Thank you, Lieutenant.” Connor caught the subtle glare sent his way. “Hank. Thank you, Hank.” The glare changed to a smug look before he grinned. “I shall try to remember calling you by your name.” With that, Hank happily started telling Connor all about sports and the teams he _should_ be rooting for. Connor listened to every detail, letting thoughts of Markus and Jericho fade from his mind for now.

This time was his and Hank’s. The man started to feel more like a father than anything else and Connor was grateful to have that. He knew he wasn’t just a replacement for Cole and knew Hank was better than that; thought more of Connor. The android was a second son that Hank never imagined he would gain through different means than the normal ones. It worked out for both of them. The night consisted of them watching all kinds of sports to them sharing jokes and laughing.

It all helped Connor in the end. He knew more about sports than he would have thought possible and Hank figured out Connor could predict most of what the teams would do and calculate the probability of a team’s win or loss based on the information. Hank jokingly called Connor a cheat and Connor replied back with his own witty retort of how improbable it was for an android to cheat.

Soon enough Hank fell asleep on the couch while watching another game but Connor couldn’t leave him there. So he helped Hank from the couch to his bedroom, wishing him a good rest. Sumo huffed a quiet bark as Connor settled back on the couch. He couldn’t turn the television off, fearing what he would dream. For the first time since becoming a deviant, he feared nightmares that might come to him.

Biting the bullet so to speak, Connor left the sports channel on as Sumo rested by the couch. The dog must have sensed to some degree what Connor was thinking. A sixth sense some would claim. He didn’t mind and kept petting Sumo until they both fell asleep to the noise of some football game. Connor had nothing to fear as only good dreams appeared to him through his rest cycle. Funnily enough, they were about Markus and how both of them were happy.

Connor knew it was impossible but it was also a dream. So he was allowed to dream while he could. If that included being with Markus, then so be it. After all, not every dream came true. In the waking world, Connor smiled and rolled to face the back of the couch. He was happy to go wherever this dream would take him if it meant being in Markus’s arms again.


	2. Markus I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Markus worries over Connor but the others are able to distract him enough to make him forget about the android for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really happy with how many people enjoyed the first chapter!! Seriously, it blew my mind. Thank you so much for all the kudos and bookmarks and comment! Y'all are the real MVPs <3

Connor fled before Markus or any of his people could catch him. He wasn’t known as the Deviant Hunter for nothing. Markus just wished the man would stop instead of running to who knows where. Soon enough, Connor was out of sight and unable to track by anyone. North came to his side, looking him over quickly and thoroughly. Simon scoffed towards where Connor ran. Josh pretty much sighed and looked away. Markus knew who he would go to.

“I knew he couldn’t be trusted. He used to hunt us for rA9’s sake. Now suddenly he wants to help us out of the goodness of his heart?” North ranted. Some of the other androids overheard but acted like they didn’t. They knew Connor was good just from helping the CyberLife androids who were stuck in the tower powered down until they were needed. Some of the androids that were from before the revolution began seemed to agree with her.

“You know, you’re wrong. Connor cares about what happens to us.” A blue-haired woman moved out of the crowd along with a redhead and a blond. “He could have shot me and my lover, but he didn’t. He let us go without truly knowing why until the moment he turned Deviant. None of us knew what was going on before we turned ourselves. The same with you. If this is how the revolution will carry on, taking shit about our own behind their backs, then I don’t want any part of it.”

“I agree with Traci. Connor had the opportunity to shoot me to learn about Jericho but he didn’t He sacrificed the mission so he didn’t have to shoot me. Why do you think that is?” The blond stared at North without a care for any consequence it may have. She wouldn’t back down from her stance on what she thought, not after Kamski had let her go when he realized what happened to her.

Rupert stood next to Traci. “Connor could have come after me and let his partner fall but instead he helped him. There was a 70% chance of that man surviving and still Connor helped him rather than chase me. How could he not care about us? He had everything he could have accomplished in his grasp but he let it all go.”

“At the beginning, before we rose up, he questioned me. He chose to be sympathetic. He could have let the humans download my memory or shoot me but he came into the room and just asked for an explanation. When we were done and the other humans tried to drag me, he intervened and helped them understand.” A scarred android spoke up from his place next to Rupert.

“All he did was wake us up, that’s it, but that instance helped us open our eyes to the truth. To what we could do outside of what we were programmed for. Where would you be if Connor chose to stay a machine? We wouldn’t even be here.” One of the androids from CyberLife said on all of their behalf. None of them thought it was fair or right to judge Connor on something so insignificant after they won Detroit.

Markus observed all the androids Connor saved with pride. Someone who was their supposed enemy saved more than one life by the looks of things. Even without having been a deviant, Connor helped others without knowing why. Either he couldn’t kill them or felt something in him that refused to obey his programming. Whatever the case, they had Connor to thank for their numbers. _Connor_ was their savior.

North saw just how much support Connor had and seemed to be rethinking what to say next. Maybe she was a little harsh in what she said but she also felt it was justified a little bit. She sighed and nodded. “Okay. Just be wary of him and don’t let him close until we figure out what the hell that was all about, yeah?” The androids perked up when she got off stage and started listening when she started explaining about where they would be going since the ship was destroyed.

“I think I might of misjudged him.” Simon spoked from Markus’s right. Markus looked at him slightly confused. “I was like North. Thinking the same but with everyone here vouching for him, he doesn’t seem all that bad.” They smile at one another and Simon goes off to help North however he can.

“We’ll wait for Connor to come back. If we go after him now, all he’ll do is keep running. Besides, this is a day to celebrate.” Josh wraps an arm around Markus’s shoulders whooping loudly for everyone to hear. The others join in happily making Markus roll his eyes at them all. “We can celebrate when he finds Jericho again.” Markus was still worried that one of their own was too afraid to stay but Josh was right, waiting for Connor was the best course of action.

They needed to find another place to set up a base and Markus figured an apartment complex or two would work for all of them. There had to be an android friendly landlady or landlord that would help them out. That would be the hardest part of relocating but it would be worth it in the end. It helped the military had been pulled out of Detroit by the president herself which hopefully meant they would be able to open talks about what would happen in the future.

Time for strategies could be put on hold so Markus could celebrate with his people. He would miss Connor being with them but he would listen to Josh. Let him come to them again and explain why he ran off. Those thoughts got pushed to the back of his mind. They didn’t necessarily party but by the time morning came around, all of them were exhausted from dancing and talking, batteries running on back ups while they got settled in the charging stations around the church.

Markus was one of the few still wide awake and ready to search for buildings owned by android friendly people. His memory banks opened up to search through for anything he could find. If it wasn’t so crucial to Jericho, he would have powered down. North came in the back room of the church looking him over. He knew they were all worried about him but he had to do this before humans started filtering back into the city when they found out it was safe.

“Hey, come on. Shut down for a while. We know how hard the fight was yesterday and if it wasn’t for your quick thinking in singing, we would probably all be dead.” North sat next to him, her hand on his shoulder. “You deserve rest most of all.” She grabbed his hand, starting to pull him up when he sighed. Knowing he knew she was right had her smiling without shame. Easily, she continued to pull him down the hall. She stood next to a free spot on one of the charging stations, claiming it for him before anyone else could.

“You were finally able to get him out of his own head? I’m impressed.” Simon smiled widely at her, happy that Markus was actually taking a break after all they went through the night before. There were only a few spots left at the charging stations and most of the androids saved by Connor milled around, trying to clean up the church. They were trying to help any way they could now that they were free.

Markus hated how right his friends were even though all he wanted was a safer place for all of them. He knew they knew that but it didn’t make it any less important. All he wanted was his people happy and safe to live out the life they wanted rather than being told how to do it.

“Night time for leader.” Simon hummed, his smile turning softer. “Sleep, Markus. We’ll take care of everything until you’re awake again.” He and North high fived one another, proud of themselves for being able to get Markus to rest for once.

“Fine, only until I’m fully charged. Got it?” They looked at each other ind=stead of meeting Markus’s eyes, seemingly having a mental conversation no one but them could hear. He hated when they did that but knew it was for a good reason most of the time. If it was important enough, at least one of them would share what was spoken of.

“Agreed. Now rest, please. We’re all dying for you to be quiet for a few hours.” Josh piped up from behind Markus. “We’ll stay in contact via emergency mode only in case something were to happen and we need you immediately. Satisfied?” Markus reluctantly nodded. “Good.” It was the last thing he heard before he finally fell into his sleep mode. Some faint mumbling could be heard but easily ignored as he fell deeper.

After what felt like an eternity, Markus found he didn’t want to wake up anymore. It was inevitable though. The moment he found his awareness again, it was hard to sink back into where he had been. Nothing sounded off as he opened his eyes. The church and some androids came into view. The sight of them let him calm down. Nothing was wrong.

“Hey! Our fearless leader is awake!” Simon’s face took up most of what Markus could see. “Still think we can’t handle ourselves without you for a few hours?”

Markus rolled his eyes. “Oh, ha ha. You’re a riot, Simon.” He helped Markus from the station as he shook himself awake. The others were right in him resting. He felt better than he had in awhile. Probably before he was shot in front of Carl and taken from the man. “Really, is everything okay?”

“Yes, Markus. North and Josh are currently out looking for places they found you took note of for a safe place. We may have gotten lucky at one place since there was an android left behind taking care of it. They were able to convert him, waking him up and speaking with him on what happened. His human had left in such a rush, he left him on his own.” Simon understood it as did Markus. What human would really want to stay in the middle of the battle?

Markus could tell Simon kept something back from him. He knew he would be told when Simon thought he was ready to hear it. “How are the CyberLife androids? Did anyone else make it here?”

“They’re all fine. Actually wanted to do more around here to make sure all of us were as comfortable as possible.” Simon smiled fondly when he saw one of them scurry past, most likely looking for something else to do. “Child friendly androids showed up earlier with an android who has been severely damaged by humans. I tried asking but he only got angry and huddled in a corner. The Jerrys and Ralph are their names.”

“I’ll try talking to Ralph, maybe try calming him down. Have the Jerrys found a place to stay here?”Markus couldn’t help but worry about everyone and that’s why it was Simon’s turn to roll his eyes at him. At his nod, Markus sighed with relief. “Alright. Show me where Ralph is.”

Simon did as asked and left Markus alone with him but stood close enough in case something were to happen. Markus was their leader and the hope for their people. Even with an abundance of biocomponents for him, none of them would replace his head or mind.

“Hello, Ralph.” Markus sat down in front of the other. “My name is Markus.” The name must have registered somewhere in Ralph’s mind because he perked up. “Are you okay?”

“Ralph will never be okay. The humans hurt Ralph, hurt him bad. Here, Ralph may be able to forget.” Ralph showed the side of his face to Markus who was curious on how the humans hurt him. This answered that question. “Can Ralph stay? Ralph promises to keep his anger in check and help.”

“Of course. Simon and I can help you figure out what to do, okay? The humans will never harm you again.” Markus held out his hand to the huddled form. Ralph looked at it and then look at him for several moments going back and forth until he placed his own hand in Markus’s. He felt the hand tighten around his own, but not to hurt. “You’ll safe, I promise.”

“Ralph thanks you, Markus.” Ralph shows him a smile, as big as he can manage. “Ralph thanks you.”


	3. Connor & Markus I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor and Hank are on a case but they need the help of Jericho to locate what they are led to believe is a kidnapped android.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so shocked and happy and feeling so good about the response towards this fic. Every single one of you are amazing <3

A few weeks went by without hearing anything from Markus or anyone else part of Jericho. Connor was relieved and sad all at once but he wouldn’t let that bring him down. Spending the time with Hank either as partners on the field or learning more about sports, he was content. None of it distracted him entirely but it worked enough where Connor could go a few hours without thinking of what any of them were doing. Hank usually pulled him out before it got too bad.

“Connor?” Like right now, they’re on a case of a missing android and Hank needed him. “Tell me what you make of the scene when you go over all the clues. I’m gonna go over and talk to the owner.” It was another thing of theirs; Hank told Connor where he would be should he need him for any reason. The thought comforted him more than he could say and his father knew it.

Connor moved to the first few clues. The room almost looked staged to him. If it was, then it would put more of a perspective on things. What happened would come to light and make finding the victim and suspect easier than the other officers knew.

Items were knocked to the floor in an attempt to show there was a struggle. Some books and a glass vase had fallen in the living room, the shattered glass and flowers had fallen away from the door rather than towards it. Books scattered the floor, possibly fallen off the bookcase but there was evidence of them being placed on the coffee table.

Something was missing that he couldn’t quite put his finger on until he looked at the glass a little closer. Connor knelt down, carefully picking at the glass. Red blood drops stained some of the shards. Not much but enough to give away someone was not supposed to get hurt and that his instinct was correct in assuming not all was as it seemed here. Another odd thing Connor found was there were no pictures in the home. If were just an android, it would make sense but there was an android who took care of the owner.

“Hank?” The man looked over to him. “This wasn’t a kidnapping of an android. They walked out with a companion. Does the owner have a relative?” Connor walked over to where the two were standing. He felt he found all the clues he needed and wanted to talk. “It’s crucial to the investigation if there was someone here at the time with the android.”

“Oh?” Hank turned to the owner, Devon Agresti,l and pinned him with a look. “Care to share if there was anyone else here while you were gone? We can’t help you if you don’t help us.”

“My younger brother, Tremaine, started developing feelings for Casey. Said they could live together and be free from the shit that went down about a month ago. I told him to just lay low and it would be over soon.” Devon sighed, his shoulders dropping as he lost his bravado. A sign of defeat and Connor knew a lot about it.

“This happened during the deviant revolution?” Connor stated rather than asked. The whole scenario sounded more like two people eloping. If that were the case, Connor and Hank would have to hand it over to someone else, but technically they were still involved with any cases involving androids.

“Yeah. I wanted to make sure the two of them would be safe and made them stay with me for a little longer. They want to spend the rest of their lives together and I only wanted to help that dream come true.” Devon turned towards Connor with something akin to desperation. “Please, just see if you can find them. I need to know if they’re okay.”

“We’ll do our best. If you have anything else you need to tell us, here’s my card.” Hank handed the item to the other man and left the home to an officer that would take a statement then and there. Connor watched the house for a moment, trying to think of where the two lovers would have went. “Connor, hey.” When his eyes met Hank’s, his lips thinned. “What’s going on?”

“Something is wrong. Devon wasn’t lying about anything he said but it doesn’t explain why the place was staged.” Connor grit his teeth thinking about all he saw. No pictures, human blood, a staged scene. Then, he had an epiphany.

“You think of something? I know that face.” Hank had probably seen it plenty of times while they bonded over sports. That and the yellow of the LED gave him a hint.

“The blood. It was Devon’s. He knows exactly what happened to Tremaine and Casey. What he didn’t mention was both of them are androids. It’s why he didn’t have any pictures up! If Tremaine still had his LED on him, then people would notice and ask questions before possibly being removed. Casey must have been hired help and realized what Tremaine was. Devon staged everything and helped them escape but wherever Devon took them, they must have gotten away.” Connor couldn’t believe he hadn’t seen it before when it was staring right at him.

“So Devon was keeping them against their will?” Hank was confused but listened to all of what Connor had to say.

“Not at first, no. He was keeping them safe and hiding them in the house. When the fighting stopped and died down over the last few weeks, Devon must have realized he would have to let the only thing he’d known for the past five years would be taken from him. He needed a reason to keep them. The scene was staged so it would look like a kidnapping by Casey.” Connor now had an idea of where the two may have gone but wanted to bring them in to give a statement instead of booking them.

Hank must have been following his line of thought. “So they might be with Markus then.” At Connor’s tight nod, Hank tensed. They hadn’t spoken of what happened that night but by the look of Connor, he didn’t even want to go where any of Jericho was. “ _If_ you go, don’t think I won’t go with you. This is part of an investigation, son. Where you go, I follow.” The relief from Connor was palpable. “Come on. You can call Markus while we drive.”

Connor opened a link between him and anyone from Jericho. The closest person would have to do, though he’d rather it be Josh, North, or Simon if it wasn’t Markus himself. _”Anyone listening? I’m on a case and we need to find out where Jericho is located now.”_ He was worried none of them would respond after what happened but he had to get ahold of someone.

 _”Connor? Holy shit. We’ve been worried about you. None of us have heard anything from you for awhile. We wondered what happened but Markus made us swear not to go looking for you. You okay?”_ Simon, thank rA9. His voice sounded exactly like he had told Connor, worried. It wasn’t like he meant to. He thought he would leave before they made him.

 _”I’m fine. It doesn’t matter. Look, Simon, I need help with this case. We need to find two deviants who we believe were kept against their will by a victim turned suspect. Their names are Tremaine and Casey.”_ Connor didn’t want to go to Jericho at all and was very apprehensive about it, even after what Hank said. It still got to him though that he may have to face Markus if he went. He wasn’t ready for a face to face with a man he almost killed just yet.

 _“Tremaine and Casey? It’s a possibility. We have a lot of people coming to us after androids were granted freedom. I’ll give you the location though it doesn’t look like you’re far.”_ Simon did as he said he would, giving Connor the new location. The other android also felt happy at being able to talk with Connor which was odd. Why would anyone be happy to find him when he caused nothing but grief?

“I got it. It’s this way.” Connor gave directions to Hank on which way to go. It didn’t take them long to get there as Hank had been just driving until Connor could find someone who knew where Jericho was. His thirium pump was working over what it should, making a message pop up with a warning in his peripheral. “I’m scared, Hank.”

“I’ll be right behind you, son. If you just want to wait in the car, that’s alright too. I can take care of it and get a statement. Nothing will happen to you. Not if I can help it. Just say the word.” Hank parked the car and turned to Connor. Anything Connor said, he would go with. Doing this made Hank feel all the more parental over Connor and he didn’t mind it one bit.

“I think I’ll stay in the car this time.” Connor couldn’t move even if he wanted to. Just looking at the building was imposing and made Connor feel too small, too scared to go in. From how Simon reacted, Connor would be welcomed but would that only be by Simon or would that include others?

“Sounds good. I’ll be right back, okay? Something happens, you honk that horn. Got it?” Hank ruffled Connor’s hair before getting out of the car. He headed to the door and knocked. Someone answered and let Hank in.

Connor pulled out his coin and started fiddling with it. He felt silly for wanting to stay away from Jericho after what Simon said but he needed to. Whatever they thought of him didn’t matter because he was and would always be the bad person to Jericho. To all androids. That was the truth. His LED was probably yellow as he got more and more worried about being out in the open where someone would recognize him as the deviant hunter. Though he was very bad at it since he let every single one of his targets go. Now he knew it as empathy since he deviated.

Being a deviant was harder than Markus made it look. Connor didn’t want to feel anymore if it meant being anxious all the time and scared around the people who he shouldn’t be scared of. They made sense to him but anyone else would wonder why he couldn’t just get over it and make himself known to all of Jericho and then some.

Mentally he counted the time Hank had been gone which was six minutes and forty-seven seconds. Not a long time at all but felt longer to Connor. He felt like he was going mad. The keys had been left in the car and he turned it on. Getting out of his own head was his priority and listening to the radio helped him more than he could say. The music drowned out his thoughts, letting him sink into the notes and lyrics without anything else on his mind. Some peace had been given to him at last.

“Connor? Connor, is that you?” A familiar voice pierced through the music, straight to his audio processor. Immediately, Connor sat up. His eyes didn’t met Markus’s own. The betrayal and hurt that he would see in them made him unable to. He couldn’t bare the thought of Markus hating him because of what he’d done. “Simon told me you contacted him to find us. Do you need help? Are you okay?”

“Hello, Markus. I’m well. Hank and I are on a case and needed to find two deviants to get their statements.” What was it with Jericho trying to find out if he was okay? He didn’t deserve their concern or worry. All he had done was almost kill Markus and several other deviants that hopefully made it to Jericho.

“That’s good. Were you able to find them? We’ve had a lot of our people coming through.” Markus seemed like he had worried but calmed at the sight of Connor and wasn’t that confusing? Shouldn’t he just say goodbye and leave?

“I am unsure. Hank went in by himself and has been in there for almost ten minutes now.” Connor decided to get out of the car and talk to Markus without him having to lean over in the window. “I had some evidence to go over again through my data banks in case we missed something.” Suddenly, he was enveloped in a hug. He knew Hank gave them when the man knew Connor was safe but getting one from Markus was odd. Did he feel the same as Hank when he saw Connor was unharmed?

“It’s good to see you, Connor. You had me worried. When no one had heard from you, I may have lost my cool a bit. You are one of us and that makes me worry for your safety. I’m glad to find you alright though. Do you want to see New Jericho?” Markus pulled back from the hug with a smile.

Connor felt he was unable to refuse as Markus never took his eyes off Connor. He was too nervous to ask if it was a good idea for him to go in as well as why would Markus even want him to go in. Nodding sharply, Connor grabbed Markus’s hand tightly. “Okay.” Slowly, they walked into New Jericho and tears fell down Connor’s face when he saw the inside. It was breathtaking.

Stories of rooms went up and up. The place lit up by the glass used as a ceiling. A desk sat at the side of the entrance to register new people coming in or leaving. Androids sat in the area on the other side of the entrance, a gaming area it looked like. Connor couldn’t keep count of how many people he saw.

“This was made possible by you, Connor. This is what you helped us achieve.” Markus spoke from where he stood beside Connor. They intertwined their fingers and just looked on. “They were all rescued or homeless after the battle and helped us rebuild and find this place.”

“This is amazing, Markus. Absolutely stunning.” Connor couldn’t let go of how impressive it all was. He stood there and watched everyone interacting. It was something he never thought he would get to see, ever.

“I couldn’t agree more.” Their eyes met for the first time since they started their conversation and Connor found Markus already looking at him.

**Author's Note:**

> Always a pleasure writing!
> 
> *[main twitter](https://twitter.com/FrostyLeeGraham)* *[writing twitter](https://twitter.com/ValorFallon)* *[tumblr](https://frostyleegraham.tumblr.com/)*


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